A Hangman for Ghosts by Andrei Baltakmens

“We are transported. We are consigned to the ends of the Earth. And we are therefore as good as dead to the realm and its judges. There can be no hope of reprieve...”

Gabriel Carver, the convict hangman of Sydney Prison, knows that none of his kind may depart Australia’s penal colony without the system’s leave. Then three people are murdered, seemingly to protect the “Rats’ Line,” an illicit path to freedom that exists only in the fevered imaginations of transported felons. But why kill to protect something that doesn’t exist?

When an innocent woman from Carver’s past is charged with one of the murders and faces execution at his hands, she threatens to reveal an incriminating secret of his own unless he helps her. So Carver must try to unmask the killer among the convicts, soldiers, sailors, and fallen women roaming 1829 Sydney. If he can find the murderer, he may discover who is defying the system under its very nose. His search will take him back to the scene of his ruin—to London and a past he can never remake nor ever escape, not even at the edge of the world.

"Baltakmens (The Raven’s Seal, 2012), echoing the voices of 19th-century masters like Conrad and Melville, combines adventure and mystery in a high-stakes tale of class, morality, and justice." -Kirkus Reviews

“With rich historical details that evoke Australia’s early colonial days, this is a wonderful, traditional novel.…Folding in vivid details, bright characters, and compelling dialogue, the story is a page-turner, a savory treat to be devoured.” - Foreward Reviews

About the Author

Andrei Baltakmens was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, of Latvian descent. He has a Ph.D. in English literature, focused on Charles Dickens and Victorian urban mysteries.

His first novel, The Battleship Regal, was published in New Zealand in 1996. His short fiction has appeared in various literary journals, and his first historical mystery, The Raven's Seal, was published in 2012.

Since 2004, he has lived in Ithaca, New York and Brisbane, Australia, where he recently completed a doctorate in Creative Writing at The University of Queensland. He now lives in Palo Alto, California, with his wife and son, and works for Stanford University as an instructional designer.

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Legend says Guinevere spent her final days in penance in a convent, but that is far from the truth.

Having escaped death at the stake, Guinevere longs to live a peaceful life in Brittany with Lancelot, but the threat of Arthur’s wrath quickly separates the lovers. Guinevere finds herself back in Camelot, but it is not the peaceful capital she once knew; the loyalty of the people is divided over Arthur’s role in her death sentence. When war draws Arthur away from Britain, Mordred is named acting king. With Morgan at his side and a Saxon in his bed, Mordred’s thirst for power becomes his undoing and the cause of Guinevere’s greatest heartache.

In the wake of the deadly battle that leaves the country in civil war, Guinevere’s power as the former queen is sought by everyone who seeks to ascend the throne. Heartbroken and refusing to take sides in the conflict, she flees north to her mother’s Votadini homeland, where she is at long last reunited with Lancelot. The quiet life she desires is just beginning when warring tribal factions once again thrust her into an unexpected position of power. Now charged with ending an invasion that could bring an end to the Votadini tribe and put the whole island in the hands of the Saxons, Guinevere must draw upon decades of experience to try to save the people she loves and is sworn to protect.

Characters:

Main characters include Guinevere, while other characters seem to be more of supporting roles rather than ones controlling destinies. Guinevere is a priestess Avalon who has been stripped from her title and so forth by her husband, King Arthur. She is best described as very determined, compassionate and a survivor of whatever fate will throw her way. Very often she sacrifices her own happiness and desires for the sake of people and society, making her an admirable woman. While Guinevere was very well developed, I feel that other characters were not as well developed as I had hoped, and beyond their roles, I cannot say with certainty what personalities they have.

Theme:

Life is not over after myths end

Plot:

The story is in first person narrative from Guinevere's point of view. THE MISTRESS OF LEGEND does tie up a lot of loose ends and it begins immediately from ending of CAMELOT'S QUEEN, so reading the previous two book is a must, although in the third book there are brief introductions to previous characters. Also, a few old characters from the first and second book show up as well. While there are political intrigues in THE MISTRESS OF LEGEND as well, I felt that the entire book was more focused on battles and on fracturing of various kingdoms as well as attempts to rebuild them (unsuccessfully.) Personally because I tend to be fascinated by villains, I felt that villains of the novel weren't paid a lot of attention on trying to understand them. (Elga and the Votadiness in particular.) Other than that, a novel of fantasy, thrills and history that should become memorable for a long time.

Nicole Evelina is a historical fiction, non-fiction, and women’s fiction author whose five books –Daughter of Destiny, Camelot’s Queen, Been Searching for You, Madame Presidentess and The Once and Future Queen: Guinevere in Arthurian Legend (nonfiction) – have won more than 30 awards, including three Book of the Year designations.

Her writing has appeared in The Huffington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Independent Journal, Curve Magazine and numerous historical publications. She is one of only six authors who completed a week-long writing intensive taught by #1 New York Times bestselling author Deborah Harkness.

Nicole is currently working on Mistress of Legend (September 15), the final novel in her Guinevere’s Tale historical fantasy trilogy and researching two future non-fiction books. She also teaches online writing and business classes for authors at Professional Author Academy.

Traditionally, after the debacle of Camelot, Queen Guinevere and Sir Lancelot end up being repentant for their sins and are assigned to languish the rest of their lives in a nunnery or a monastery. In this book, however, the author dares to give a worthy alternative ending to Queen Guinevere's life; that after humanizing the woman who has made up much of my teen obsession, Queen Guinevere gets a different route, which I enjoyed a great deal. The first half of the book focuses on the tale after the ending of CAMELOT'S QUEEN, while the second half, after that fateful battle between Mordred and Arthur, is one that goes differently than expected. Post Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere tales, I barely have any familiarity with what happened after Queen Guinevere and Sir Lancelot were caught, but its good that the author takes that into account and we watch with Guinevere on the fall and destruction of Camelot as well as what was going on with the tribes of England at that time. It's both a fun and historical journey that should definitely inspire readers to dig deep into Arthurian legends.

Tuesday, January 1, 2019

For better or worse 2018 is over and 2019 has begun; time for resolutions, to get a fresh start, and for me, crossing fingers for more amazing reads. This year will mark the 9th year since I have started to blog, and this year I hope to start doing podcast instead of videos like I planned. (Videos seem to have too much involvement while podcast does have some involvement, but not as much as videos, at least in my thoughts.) What new books and reads should I tackle in January? Let's find out!

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About Me

I like to read all sorts of books, minus horror and hardcore sci-fi and to an extent I might read romance (no cookie cutter romance novels though,) I enjoy reading multiracial stories (With white female and Asian male in particular,) I also will not read christian fiction/non fiction text.
I dabbled with all sorts of genres and read lots of novels (horror, classical, fantasy, children's, romance, etc) Currently I am enjoying historical/ pre- historical fiction novels.
I also tend to be critical and am honest if I don't like a book.
Also, if you are interested in sending me a book to review, please send an email to svet_chick@yahoo.ca, or else make a comment.